Episode 4: "The Battle of Buldun"
In August 1971, in the town of Buldun in the Iranun highlands to the north of the Cotabato Valley, fighting broke out between the indigenous Muslim inhabitants and Christian loggers for reasons not made clear in reports of the incident. After some Christian loggers were killed in retaliation for the shooting death of a local Muslim official, Buldun was fortified by local Muslims in expectation of a counterattack. A detachment of the Philippine Constabulary advancing on the town was fired upon and its commanding officer killed. The impression spread that those behind the barricades in Buldun were well armed and well organized and thus members of the "Blackshirts," the rumored military arm of the MIM. The Philippine Army arrived in battalion strength and Buldun was bombarded by artillery for four days, after which an ultimatum to surrender was issued to the townspeople. By this time, however, the national media had relayed the story of Buldun around the country, and public outcry forced the intervention of President Marcos, who personally negotiated with the mayor of
Buldun and averted the almost certain destruction of the town (George 1980; Majul 1985; McAmis 1974).